A size of a head of a big child or a head of a small man...
A cactus plant needs dissolved nutrients from the soil in order to flower. Of particular need are potassium and especially phosphorus. A cactus also needs pollinators. And it needs a rainfall, to burst suddenly into colorful bloom.
A barrel cactus [Echinocactus and Ferocactus spp] needs both carbon dioxide and oxygen. It needs to take in carbon dioxide, for its photosynthetic interaction with sunlight. It needs oxygen, which forms the water molecule with hydrogen.
Barrel cacti have an extensive root system that is used to take in water during rainy periods. The water is then stored in the tissues of the plant for drought periods.
It depends upon the particular cactus. For example, the old man cactus [Cephalocereus senilis] reaches a mature height of 50 feet/15 meters. It may mature to an age of around 200 years. It's slow growing. So it doesn't flower the first 20 years of its existence.
The barrel cactus [Echinocactus and Ferocactusspp] has spreading, shallow, fibrous roots. It's the only kind of roots that a cactus plant has. The roots need to spread out in search of rare soil moisture. They also need to be shallow to catch the drops of dew, fog, or rain that drip to the ground and into the soil. They need to be fibrous, too, to take in water and dissolved nutrients, to send up the stem for the photosynthetic interaction with sunlight.
Because a cactus can't grow in clayey soil and there is a lot of water in the marshes, the cactus does not need a lot of water
The Christmas cactus [Schlumbergera and Zygocactus spp] blooms in response to appropriate heat, light and moisture levels. At the same time, it blooms in response to its genetic inheritance. It's a native of the Brazilian rain forest, where its growing season corresponds to northern winters. The appropriate environmental conditions, the genetic inheritance, and the growing season combine to make the Christmas cactus bloom when it does.
cactus need less water thus they grow in deserts
put it outside. the angle of the sun prompts the budding. i just got a new variety, can't wait. nice buds, tangerine.Christmas Cactus is a succulent, therefore (Ideally) it should be in loamy soil (sand added). All plants need to be fed according to supplier directions. Since it is a blooming plant, look for a fert with high phosphorous content. This is the second number of the analysis, i.e.24 6 10 %Nitrogen, %Phosphorous, %Potash. Christmas Cactus bloom around Christmastime, hence the name, this is also the time of year that has the least amount of sunlight per day. So, if you want to "force" the plant to bloom, then you need to gradually decrease the daily amount of light the plant receives, or just give it proper care and wait for Christmas.
As a cactus is a form of a plant, it will require sunlight for photosynthesis and water to stop it from drying out and to help the cactus plant grow.
I need to know this!!!!!
Cactus are a desert plant, and so need to send their roots deep down for their food.